The Chicago Sky made quick work after the hiring of Teresa Weatherspoon as head coach by announcing that Jeff Pagliocca will be the next general manager of the franchise.

“I am beyond grateful to be named the new General Manager of the Chicago Sky,” Pagliocca said in a statement. “I’m very proud to partner with Coach Weatherspoon and the Sky front office to shape a championship-caliber roster. With a strong background in strategy, player development, and tenure with this team, I am eager to build upon our tradition of excellence, hard work, and winning, in this energizing new chapter of Sky basketball. Expect us to bring unmatched toughness, grit, and relentless competitive spirit to Chicago.”

The Long Grove, IL native is returning to the franchise after spending last season as the Sky’s director of skill development. Pagliocca spent the last four seasons as an advisor to the head coach and assisting in player development.

Pagliocca is the founder of Evolution Athletics in Deerfield, IL where he’s worked with a litany of NBA and WNBA talent for over 20 years, including Patrick Beverly, Luol Deng and former Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot.

The Sky have 5 players under contract to return for the 2024 season: Copper, Marina Mabrey, Dana Evans, Isabelle Harrison and Elizabeth Williams. The rest of the roster is up for grabs with Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith as unrestricted free agents and Ruthy Hebard as a restricted free agent. Morgan Bertsch, Robyn Parks and Rebekah Gardner are reserved players. Sika Koné and Li Yueru are unprotected players.

What Pagliocca will do with this roster remains to be seen. Contract conversations with players will not start until after the new year with free agency starting in February of 2024.